Re: Could you / Would you run your own cafe / restaurant?

Lol, peas in a pod LGF, Im not a morning person either but **** I love a good brekky. Bluegrass and country would be a welcome addition to break things up a little and I totally forgot about the beauty of seafood and a good meat pie, we should go into business together .

Re: Could you / Would you run your own cafe / restaurant?

I've worked in food service, an icecream shop and a pizza place. The latter was more to help out some friends. Most of the time it was fun but it's the crappy customers that get to me the most. Hence I've chosen my career in something that has less customers so I get less crappiness. Some people seem to go out of their way to be difficult for no reason and there isn't all that much you can do about it - though I find being super nice (yet firm when they inevitably ask for a discount - "no you can't get a discount just because you whinge...in fact it makes it less likely"). Unforunately not everyone realises that if you are pleasent to people in a service role they will try to be nice back. I used to have nice customers who got more icecream (over-scooping, whoops, well you better eat it anyway) or more salad (my hand must have slipped and you ended up with ten olives...by the way I had trouble getting the lid shut).

Re: Could you / Would you run your own cafe / restaurant?

I agree WR. My experience of customer service is in financial services but I would still rather go that extra mile for the polite person than the nasty one. I have often told the nasty ones that if they continued to speak to me like that I was unable to help them and that tended to work. And I have found being a regular friendly customer at some of my favourite cafes has gotten me freebies and exceptional service. I used to get either a free hot chocolate or croissant before work everyday when I worked in London before we had the kids, then my fav person at the coffee shop changed branches and that was the end of my free ride, but it lasted about 6 months. A smile and chat costs nothing!

Re: Could you / Would you run your own cafe / restaurant?

The White Rabbit wrote:

I've worked in food service, an icecream shop and a pizza place. The latter was more to help out some friends. Most of the time it was fun but it's the crappy customers that get to me the most. Hence I've chosen my career in something that has less customers so I get less crappiness. Some people seem to go out of their way to be difficult for no reason and there isn't all that much you can do about it - though I find being super nice (yet firm when they inevitably ask for a discount - "no you can't get a discount just because you whinge...in fact it makes it less likely"). Unforunately not everyone realises that if you are pleasent to people in a service role they will try to be nice back. I used to have nice customers who got more icecream (over-scooping, whoops, well you better eat it anyway) or more salad (my hand must have slipped and you ended up with ten olives...by the way I had trouble getting the lid shut).

Whilst I do see "miserable-looking" customers, not many of them actually share their misery with me verbally.It could be that I have a "look" I reserve especially for them (the same one I have for "naughty" children!), & somehow they alter their demeanour when they get to me.

One woman a week or more ago told me that she didn't like me calling her "my dear" as it was over-familiar, not to mention a bit "local" (ie "common").................I pointed out to her how fortunate she was to have such a surfeit of love in her life as to not need the affection of a stranger, but that others are not so fortunate, & perhaps if she has so much in life she should be more generous herself in the way she addresses the people she meets. She rapidly shut the h*ll up, just as the customer next to her told her not to be so d*mned rude to me! Job done!!!

Re: Could you / Would you run your own cafe / restaurant?

I ran a suop kitchen for 2 months. It was one of my all time favorite things to do, but to run something for profit, well, I'm not sure I could stand the crunch. Not sure i could stand the insults and scorn and pressure for profit style.

When I was younger I wanted to start a place that had vouchers for students artists and those who were down and out, and then charge those who weren't. I thought I could make it a gallery-theater- restaurant, have open mike and al kinds of artistic stuff happening, but got thrown into thw world of survival and mad dashes and never did find the opportunity. Wanted the place to have an Inn sort of upstairs and wanted it to include a hostel room and some cheap rooms as well as very posh rooms. Wanted the basement to house cheap dark rooms and ceramic studio and print studio. All for cheap for those of us who are on the edge. And wanted there to be a garden outside, with vibrational sensitivities and food plants, all vibrationally helpful too, of course.

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